Estrella couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle, “Don’t worry. I’ve got a son now, I’m not going to do
anything foolish. Plus, I’ve got more self-respect than that.”
Even if she had once thrown caution to the wind where Jason was concerned, those days were well
behind her. It was during that fall at Sandalwood Oasis that she felt as though years of feelings for
Jason had been wiped clean.
After Estrella’s reassurance, Bryce eased up a bit. “Glad to hear you’ve got some sense of self-
respect.”
Estrella shot him a glare, which he met with a laugh while ruffling her hair. “I’m off then. You should
head inside.”
“Sure thing,” Estrella agreed, but she lingered outside until Bryce started his car and waved for her to
go in. Then, hands buried in her jacket pockets, she ambled back to the house at a leisurely pace.
During her three years abroad, especially when Isaac was born, she was deeply grateful for Bryce’s
tireless support.
By the time Estrella returned to the villa, Isaac had already fallen asleep on Jesse’s
shoulder.
Isaac was asleep, Estrella was back, and Jesse, after spending a while with the Dorvold family, headed
home as well.
Fresh from the shower, Estrella found Autumn still keeping watch by Isaac’s bedside. As Estrella joined
her, the conversation naturally turned to Jesse. They both agreed that Jesse was of an age to settledown, and Estrella mentioned that finding the right person could happen in the blink of an eye.
Over the years, she and Bryce had introduced Jesse to plenty of potential suitors, Jesse had always
been reluctant, likely due to some deep-seated issues from her
childhood:
Estrella simply hoped that Jesse would soon meet the right person and experience the joys of family
life.
After discussing Jesse, Autumn looked affectionately at the sleeping Isaac and remarked “Estrella,
Isaac is the spitting image of you. If you two were out and about, people might mistake her for a little
lady.”
Estrella smiled and gently stroked Isaac’s forehead, “I just hope he gets a bit taller.”
Isaac had always been a picky eater, which meant he was a bit shorter than other kids his age, and he
was a late talker, too. Estrella had lost count of the number of doctor’s visits they’d had because of it.
But Isaac’s appetite had improved dramatically in the last three
08:36
noveldramamonths. He was eating non-stop every day. If not for his recent growth spurt, he would look even
smaller than he did now.
“Kids grow at their own pace,” Autumn murmured. “Isaac has been doing well during this period. He will
only continue to grow better in the future. Yousee, during this time, other kids have been taking turns getting sick, but Isaac hasn’t been affected.”
Estrella, gently touching Isaac’s forehead, whispered, “I hope so.”
After talking about Isaac, Autumn lowered her voice, “Estrella, I heard from Bryce that you’re
considering leaving after wrapping up your cases.”
Estrella replied, “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
Autumn’s emotions began to surge. “Estrella, your father and I only have one daughter. Are you truly
planning to abandon us here?”
Mixe
“Besides, what’s so great about living abroad? You’d be all alone with no familiar faces around. Why
are you so keen on leaving? Even if you’re not considering…”
Breaking down into tears mid-sentence, Autumn caused Estrella to feel an oncoming headache. She
quickly signaled for her mother to pause, “Mom, Mom, take a moment, please.”
Their eyes locked, and Estrella said helplessly, I won’t go, okay? Let’s not make a mountain out of a
molehill.”
Autumn had a way of bringing up grievances from as far back as her first birthday and could carry on
until the next morning. Estrella was genuinely intimidated by Autumn’s theatrics and quickly tried to
shut it down.
Since Estrella promised to stay, Autumn’s demeanor shifted back to normal as if the tears had never
happened.Tucking Isaac in, Autumn advised, “Then you should get all the necessary paperwor sorted out
tomorrow. It’ll make things easier for Isaac.”
“Will do,” Estrella agreed.
“The father of the child? We’ll need his information to process these documents. Please bring all the
required paperwork next time,” a clerk said to Estrella the next day as she tried to get Isaac’s
documents in order.
Estrella replied, “I’m a single mother, divorced.”
The clerk frowned, “Divorced? Our records show you’re still married.”